1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door locking apparatus that is mounted on a door of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
This kind of door locking apparatus includes a latch mechanism, and the latch mechanism includes a fork that retains a striker provided on a vehicle side and a claw that engages with the fork to keep the fork latching the striker. The door locking apparatus also includes a door opening mechanism that can switch between an unlocking position where the claw can be engaged and a locking position where the claw cannot be engaged. The door locking apparatus also includes a locking mechanism that moves the door opening mechanism to the unlocking position or the locking position. The locking mechanism includes a manual locking mechanism and an automatic locking mechanism. The manual locking mechanism is operated by a manipulation of a locking knob disposed on the inner side of the vehicle or a key cylinder disposed on the cuter side of the vehicle. The automatic locking mechanism is operated by a manipulation of a locking switch placed in the vehicle or a remote controller.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-262902 discloses, a door locking apparatus in which a waterproof property and a burglar-proof property are improved by providing components respectively constituting the latch mechanism, the door opening mechanism, the manual locking mechanism, and the automatic locking mechanism in the closed housing. A locking state detector that detects whether the door opening mechanism is in the locking state or an unlocking state is also accommodated in the housing.
On the other hand, depending on the vehicle, only the latch mechanism, the door opening mechanism, and the manual locking mechanism are mounted on the door locking apparatus (manual operating specifications). In this case, although the same housing as one of the automatic operating specifications on which the automatic locking mechanism is mounted is used, the automatic locking mechanism is not mounted. Therefore, cost increase associated with production of plural kinds of housings is prevented.
However, a space in which the automatic locking mechanism is mounted exists in the housing of the door locking apparatus that is used in the manual operating specifications. Compared with the door locking apparatus that is produced only for the purpose the manual operating specifications, disadvantageously the door locking apparatus has a large housing and uselessly occupies the space. Disadvantageously, a weight is also increased because of the large housing.